RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, July 10, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-271 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Boating Accident with Fatality
Around 9:10 p.m. on July 8th, the park received a call via
marine band radio from a member of a group of about 20 people in
two houseboats at the extreme upper end of the lake. The caller
said that one of their party was in diabetic shock and that
several of them would be bringing the victim to Temple Bar in a
19 foot Sun-ray speedboat. Rangers Mike Ramirez and Jonathan
Schafler went down to the dock at Temple Bar to await their
arrival. When the boat failed to appear at the scheduled time,
the rangers headed out in a 20 to 22 foot Boston Whaler to find
them. Shortly thereafter, the two boats collided. One of the
occupants of the Sun-ray, 28-year-old S.N., was fatally
injured. Two others T.M.N., 30, of Ontario,
California, and W.N., 34, of Chino, California
received serious head injuries, and the operator of the boat
L.M. of Bloomington, California received minor
injuries. Ramirez and Schafler suffered only minor injuries.
The rangers were able to transport all four to Temple Bar. The
two with head injuries were taken via helicopter to Las Vegas;
the third injured party was taken via ambulance to Kingman,
Arizona. Although the night was dark, the Sun-ray was running at
about 60 mph without lights except for a handheld flashlight.
L.M. initially stated that he saw the Whaler and was
heading toward it; he apparently misjudged the distance between
the boats and was unable to correct in time. Because the
accident involved the NPS, the park has asked the Nevada
Department of Wildlife to investigate the incident. The Clark
County coroner is investigating the fatality. [Karen Whitney,
LAME, via telephone and CompuServe reports from Carl Christensen,
RAD/WRO, 7/9]
91-272 - Indiana Dunes (Indiana) - Construction Accident
On July 2nd, construction work involving the jetting-in of
pilings for a $38 million air quality scrubber at the Baily
Generating Station adjacent to Cowles Bog, a national natural
landmark within the park, apparently caused a 300 by 100 by 20
foot subsidence which swallowed up the scrubber, a crane and a
number of vehicles in the area. Movement of the surrounding
land as a result of the subsidence also shifted the alignment of
the power plant's generators, which caused their bearings to
seize. Park resource management and science personnel are
monitoring the ground and surface water for chemical impacts and
for impacts on the general water regime of Cowles Bog and Lake
Michigan. [Dick Littlefield, CR, INDU, via telefax from John
Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 7/8]
91-273 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Apparent Suicide
A mountain lion researcher discovered a human skeleton and other
remains on Deer Mountain near Trail Ridge Road on June 26th. A
Smith and Wesson .38 special was found in the victim's hand.
The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, but it
appears to have been a suicide by gunshot. Identification of
the victim is still pending. [Rick Nichols, ROMO, via SEAdog
message from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 7/3]
91-274 - Yosemite (California) - Demonstration
On July 8th, rangers responded to a report of a demonstration in
the Hodgdon Meadows housing area and found ten people protesting
the removal of trees from a park housing construction site. The
group had failed to obtain a permit for the demonstration;
rangers told them that they would have to leave the area, but
that they would be allowed to obtain a special use permit to
demonstrate elsewhere. They were given 15 minutes to leave the
housing area. When the rangers returned to the area with a park
forestry crew, the demonstrators blocked the roadway to prevent
the crew from reaching the work site. The demonstrators were
told that they would be arrested if they did not disperse. When
they failed to leave, rangers arrested David Orr, 33, of Davis,
California. The remaining demonstrators agreed to disperse
immediately after his arrest. [Law Enforcement Office, YOSE,
via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/9]
91-275 - Yosemite (California) - Drowning
On the afternoon of July 5th, rangers in the El Portal
subdistrict received word that 23-year-old M.B. of
Huntington Beach, California, had fallen into the Merced River.
Ten park personnel and a helicopter responded to the scene, but
were unable to find her. Witnesses indicate that M.B. was
standing on a large boulder next to the river's edge and that
she apparently slipped and fell into the river. The river is
presently classified as white water at this location. Search
efforts have been suspended due to other search and rescue
activities. [Law Enforcement Office, YOSE, via CompuServe
message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/9]
91-276 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Boat Fire with Injuries
On the morning of June 29th, a boat operated by R.G. of
Palmdale, California, and occupied by his wife, two children and
a nephew, had just completed fueling at the Lake Mead Marina.
R.G. was attempting to start the engine after running the
bilge blower for about two minutes when a gas fire and explosion
occurred. Mrs. R.G., the couple's three-year-old daughter and
their six-year-old nephew all received second degree burns; Mr.
R.G. and the couple's four-and-a-half-month-old son received first
and second degree burns. All were taken by helicopter to the
burn center at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. The
fire was extinguished by the marina's fire boat. The fire was
caused by a faulty gas filler hose which let raw fuel into the
engine and bilge of the vessel. [Linda Ross, LAME, via
CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/8]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/9 7/10 Status
AK NPS Denali B664 8,000 NR NEC
B514 (Slippery) 60 NR NEC
B515 (Clone) 30 NR NEC
B648 (Otter Creek) 200 NR NEC
B649 (Sprucefish) 600 NR NEC
Yukon-Charlie B339 (Erickson) 16,720 NR NEC
Gates of Arctic B436 (Kobuk River) 600 NR NEC
B616 25 NR NEC
BLM Southwest Area * B600 8,150 NEC
BIA Up. Yukon Zone B381 41,882 46,612 NEC
* B564 2,990 NEC
Southwest Area B613 T2 3,896 3,896 CN 7/12
* B544 4,520 NEC
FWS Up. Yukon Zone B460 40,000 40,000 NEC
Southwest Area B559 5,760 NR NEC
Tanana Zone * B568 29,570 NEC
AK Up. Yukon Zone B564 2,990 NR NEC
Tanana Zone B492 T2 17,510 17,510 NEC
113415 1,500 NR NEC
Southwest Area B552 T2 NR NR NEC
B402 T2 10,710 11,400 CN 7/15
WY NPS Yellowstone Pelican 260 260 CN 7/12
CO USFS Grand Mesa Mill Creek 288 288 CN 7/12
ID USFS Challis KwisKwis T2 150 541 NEC
Alaska also has 13 fires under modified suppression strategy for
121,100 acres and 61 fires under limited suppression for 372,605 acres.
NOTES:
Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report).
T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
NR No report received MS Modified suppression strategy
CN Contained MN Being monitored
CL Controlled NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 35,120 988,166
1991 (Year-to-date) 38,073 1,230,926
1990-1991 (% difference) + 8% + 25%
4) FIRE NARRATIVES
Yellowstone (Wyoming)
* Pelican Fire - Thunderstorms and spotting are hindering control
efforts, but containment is still expected on Friday.
5) ANALYSIS - Progress is being made towards containment target
dates on fires in Alaska. Lightning activity throughout the
West has led to an increase in initial attack operations in many
areas.
6) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages are anticipated.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
7/10; NICC Daily Situation Report, 7/9]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Reports of Mr. Dabney's departure (which
appeared here yesterday) were a tad premature. Although he will
be in and out for the next week, his last day of duty will be
7/17.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Halainen on AL (7/12).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Bristol on AL (7/37-/12); Farrel at
wildland/urban interface meeting, Washington, DC (7/8-7/12);
Rutter at FFS budget conference, Washington, DC (7/8-7/12); Gale
at Yosemite fire review report meeting, Phoenix, AZ (7/9-7/10).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650